This invention is directed to the electrostatic separation of particles having different physical properties and in particular to the separation of particles using an alternating potential field.
Many industrial mechanical and electrostatic methods exist for the separation of granular solids. The mechanical methods which include screening apparatus and fluidized beds are particularly useful if the size of the particles differ appreciably or if the specific gravity of the components of the granular mixture differ. The electrostatic separators which use high voltage fields operate to attract or repel certain particles and are particularly useful for mixtures in which the particles differ substantially in charge. These systems have been found to become quite complex for mixtures having more than two components and it has been found that several passes are necessary to provide an acceptable separation of the components.